Several Southern Baptist churches across Louisiana provided Thanksgiving dinner for people in their communities.
STATEWIDE – Several Southern Baptist churches across Louisiana provided Thanksgiving dinner for people in their communities. See page 5 for Leesville, and page 10 for Hammond, Loranger and Mandeville.
In Cenla, the Message found First Baptist Winn-field the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and First Baptist Pineville and Longview Baptist Church, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
“We’ve been stressing a lot about doing our faith and not just talking about it,” said Stephen Laughlin, First Winnfield pastor for the last four months.
“We tried to reach out in every area we could,” the pastor added. “We didn’t reach everybody this year, but that’s why the good Lord made next year!”
It was the first year for First Winn-field’s community Christmas dinner, the 13th for First Pineville, and more than 30 years for Longview. It was chicken and ham for First Winnfield, turkey at First Pineville, and roasted pig at Longview. What all the churches had in common though, was eager church members’ willingness to volunteer in whatever way they could help.
“If pastors want a galvanizing event that will put their people to work in ministry, my recommendation is a community Thanksgiving dinner,” Laughlin said. “It was really a full-church effort, and it didn’t cost one penny from the church budget. Everything that was needed, was donated by church members and others in the community.”
The Skid Row Sunday School class bought all the chickens and smoked them in a $30,000 smoker the First Winnfield class owns. The ladies class bought hams, which the Skid Row class cooked. Green beans, corn, candied yams, homemade yeast rolls from a local school, and “everybody brought desserts” rounded out that menu.
Some ate at the church, and some of those were picked up in the church buses and brought to the church specifically for the meal. Some meals were delivered – to shut-ins and to those who felt uncomfortable going to the church.
“Next year we’re talking about having it at two sites, one away from the church,” Laughlin said. “We don’t want anyone missing out because they didn’t want to come to the church.”
First Pineville hosts its Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Pineville’s Main Street Community Center for just that reason, said Gary McKay, a commercial real estate broker with an interest in cooking, who was asked in 1995 by other First Pineville deacons to coordinate what then was a new ministry.
“Some people of the church said we need to do something, and this is the something we came up with,” Deacon McKay said. “It’s designed as a ministry to the working poor.”
About 20 people were waiting outside before doors opened at 5 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving, and for about three hours, a steady stream of people – many repeaters from previous years – poured into the community center for turkey, dressing, yams, cranberries, green beans, peas, a variety of desserts and punch.
“I’ve been here every year that I could be,” said one man sitting alone at a table. “I come for the fellowship.”
Herb Cady, pastor of Main Street Mission, a partner with First Pineville in the community Thanksgiving dinner, came up and stretched out his hand as he said, “Welcome, Peter Paul! It’s good to see you!” At those words, a trusting smile broke out on the Viet Nam veteran’s face, and he visibly relaxed.
About 250 volunteers from First Pineville showed up to help prepare, serve, mingle and clean up, which was many more than were needed to minister to the 735 diners, but having a ministry for them to do was in itself a ministry, McKay said.
“They want to serve,” he said. “We’re also making up 70 to 80 food baskets [of canned goods and other non-perishables] for Christmas.”
Cost for the Thanksgiving and Christmas food-related events: $3,000, but that doesn’t come from the church budget, McKay said. People donate for this in addition to their regular tithes and offerings.
Stewart Holloway is the new (as of August) pastor of First Pineville. He was in the kitchen, watching water boil so he could turn it into gravy.
“It’s a wonderful outreach,” Holloway said. “We’re combining our forces [with Main Street Mission’s] to meet a need in the community.”
The Longview Deville pig roast is steeped in tradition. Many of the older men in the church gather to roast the pigs in a shed behind the Family Life Center. The pig is served with side dishes and desserts prepared by the ladies of the church.
“I have never really gotten the exact number of years they’ve had the pig roast,” said Robby Poole, Longview’s pastor. “But I know it has easily been more than 30 years. I love to come and listen to their stories while they roast the pigs. It really has become a tradition not only here, but in the community as well.”
While the church service preceding the meal was not packed, it still drew well. According to Poole, he saw some new faces as well as some from the community mixing with regular church members.
“It is not a huge evangelistic thrust, but it is an outreach to the community,” Poole said. “Many of our people had family and friends from out of town join them in church tonight and afterwards at the pig roast.”
While numbers were a little down, more than 200 people still enjoy a warm meal and good fellowship at the Family Life Center.